#numark controller

Numark has more than enough products to choose from, in fact, too many.  If you’re only going to buy a pair of Numark turntables, then your choices will be narrowed down to little more than what can be counted on two hands.  But if you’re going to buy your first controller with very little knowledge of what is out there, Numark’s variety can be overwhelming.  Just look at the Mixtrack line of controllers – how can you know which is a better deal, other than by using the price?  One thing that can be said about Numark products in general, is that the second edition of any product is usually a large improvement over the first. Numark’s first controllers were chock full of problems, or at least complaints from DJs.  The tactile feeling of the buttons is still the subject of many arguments over Numark products.  They certainly aren’t going to be as good as what you would find on a MPC-500 or a DDJ-SX, but they should at least be useable.  Also, the jog wheel was a bit of a concern on the first model; it was too big and often in the way.  This second version decreased the size of them to something more usable.   http://www.djtechtools.com/2013/03/18/review-numark-mixtrack-pro-ii-controller-for-serato-djdj-intro/  

It is funny how trends in the DJ industry seem to reverse themselves – and it mirrors the rest of our culture as well.  For example, remember when web pages in the early 90’s were first being produced and created?  I remember that many liked to use ultra small fonts, which seemed so much more professional than the bubbly playful fonts that we marked most amateur webpages.  Ten years later, people got tired of having to squint their eyes in order to read the damn page.  So now, you are more likely to see web pages with huge lettering. This same ebb and flow is seen in equipment as well, especially in controllers.  On one side you have ultra small and portable controllers like the Vestax VCI series, but you also have some pretty huge controllers like the NS7.  Both have their purposes and are designed for a different audience in mind.  Numark has taken it one step further in an attempt to flatten an existing controller into something the width of an iPad.  While the form factor is nice, it may be difficult to play with flattened faders and buttons that are hardly raised from their surface. http://djworx.com/exclusive-musikmesse-2013-numark-mixtrack-edge-dj-controller/

The shrinking of technology has made it easier to possess something that used to be big in the size of your hands.  There is very little that doesn’t benefit from being repackaged into a smaller form, except maybe a computer monitor for example.  But by that same argument, monitors have shrunk their width in order to keep up with the times.  Numark’s Mixtrack Edge sounds like something you would name a cellular phone – but the title is very fitting.  It’s thickness has been shrunk down into a size the thickness of an iPad.  Who doesn’t love the size of an iPad, right? As quoted from other review websites who are taking a look at this new device, the Mixtrack suffers from obvious problems that cannot be ignored.  One of them is the lack of onboard EQing.  If you are going to include all the tools to fade channel to channel, why would you omit an important part like the EQ dials?  This means a DJ will have to use a mix of virtual and hardware controls, instead of being able to use one or the other.  Regardless, if you don’t mind the lack of EQ’s, it’ size and price make it something to consider. http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2013/04/numark-mixtrack-edge/

We are seeing more and more products created specifically with the iPad in mind.  In fact, if you see a product that uses a certified Apple 30-pin connector or lightening connector attached to the unit itself that you know that it is an Apple approved product.  Rarely does Apple undergo the task of producing aftermarket products that are anything more than a power or information cable; perhaps they are aware that tons of aftermarket companies have already spent their hard earned cash creating designs and copies of their products.  But if you do happen to see a DJ product that uses a 30-pin connector already attached to the device, you can be sure that it is apple certified (at least we hope so).  Odds are that it will be stamped with some sort of Apple approved label as well. Numark has a slew of products aimed at the iPad and laptop users, mainly their Mixtrack series of mixers.  These come in almost any configuration you like, and while some of them are fully loaded with a mixer with appropriate knobs, some of them are completely sparse lacking the main components needed to even use the device.  The newest iDJ Flex allows both iPad nad laptops to be situated to the device. http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2013/04/musikmesse-2013-numark-idj-flex-controller/

There is still a lot of stubbornness that is hard to overcome when it comes to buying new DJ gear.  For many of us who have been in the game for more than 10 years, it is hard to separate an asset from a liability, a tool from a toy.  When equipment comes packaged in a shell that doesn’t look like it is made to last, I would be hard pressed to spend more than a certain amount of cash on it, as it might just be “spending what I’m willing to lose”, as the saying goes.  A Vestax controller is pretty pricey, yet it comes from a manufacturer who has made tank-like mixers for more than a decade, so I have no problems about quality from them. The real issue is, “Do I see that amount of money being spent as an investment?” You see, maybe I would consider a controller purchase to be more of a disposable one, rather than a long term functional purpose.  In that case, I’d much rather buy a cheap and less expensive controller than to go the full boat and spent almost a thousand dollars on a system I might never get used to.  We all have our own objectives and reasons. http://www.djbooth.net/index/dj-equipment/entry/video-numark-mixtrack-pro-ii-tutorial

The Vestax VCI series are really the controller that started it all.  I don’t believe there could have been a better company to do it than the one who has had decades of experience building mixers and turntables.  It was pricey, but the first product on the market should act as a prototype for all those who want to share their design.  If it is made usable in real life and built well, there can be little to negatively say about it other than complaints for being innovative in a world sometimes stays static.  Now, there are many different options to choose from and Vestax is simply a higher priced alternative – but those who have bought this gear are likely to hang on to it. The VCI-380 has everything the digital DJ needs.  It comes with your standard but solid jog wheels and it also comes with 8 pads per each side.  It is strange that something with this much capability could be packed into a unit that is only a little bit wider than your average 10” mixer – but seeing believing right?  Cheaper products by Numark can claim to do the same, but none of them have the class and quality of a genuine Vestax mixer. http://www.djbooth.net/index/dj-equipment/entry/video-serato-dj-with-vestax-vci-380

The ability to scratch using a jogwheel controller is an ability that differs from being able to scratch on a turntable.  Coming from a turntable to a jogwheel will certainly help you get used to the difference in size and feel, but learning directly on a jogwheel will be much more difficult than you pay think.  The lack of hand space makes it difficult to perform moves that require great control – while a smaller wheel will force you to put more torque into a movement than is necessary.  This is why these types of controller usually come with a nudge and pinch setting, so that you do not actually have to bend pitches using the wheel. The NS7 can be looked at as a turntablist friendly controller, since the discs on the surface actually move and spin.  I’ve tried them out, and these even have enough torque to make your hands feel like they are moving something bigger.  Those who want to retain their scratching skills might want to look into a spinning platter table, such as this one.  The only flaw I can see in this unit is that it is relatively old considering just how fast MIDI gear is released.  http://www.djbooth.net/index/dj-equipment/entry/video-serato-dj-with-numark-ns7

Of all of the gear companies out there, few of them can stand up to what Numark has done for DJs of all types.  Not only have they made DJing accessible for those who cannot afford top notch gear and top dollar – they have taken the concept of what it means to be a DJ and have transformed it.  One thing I like about their gear is that it is usually available everywhere.  You can find the bargain products at just about every electronics store – but this doesn’t mean that Numark stop there.  They don’t.  Anything that can be made at high cost, can also be made for slightly less of a cost.  This is what Numark does. Their Numark NV controller is nothing to laugh about.  It combines the aspects of many other controllers out there including the NI Kontrol Series, and the newer Pioneer HD decks.  You get to have your jog wheels and you also get to have your waveform displays.  Like many of their upper tier models – they include all the nice features you would normally have to pay extra for.  They have also made the idea of a laptop DJ obsolete – at least at the consumer level. http://www.djtechtools.com/2014/09/10/numark-nv-controller-with-dual-screens-full-review/